Program Manager

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced Program Manager with a strong Microsoft Dynamics 365 background to lead and govern the full portfolio of Dynamics projects across the UK & Ireland (UK&I) region. This is a senior client-facing role responsible for driving program-level delivery, managing multiple concurrent D365 engagements, and acting as the primary point of escalation and trust between the delivery organization and client stakeholders. The ideal candidate combines deep functional/technical grounding in Dynamics 365 with mature program management skills — governance, risk management, commercial awareness, and stakeholder leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Program & Portfolio Management

• Own end-to-end program governance across all active D365 projects within the UK&I region (D365 CE/CRM, F&O, Business Central, Power Platform as applicable).
• Establish and run program governance forums — steering committees, delivery reviews, RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies) boards — across all engagements.
• Drive projects to closure by tracking milestones, resolving blockers, and ensuring on-time, on-budget, on-quality delivery.
• Maintain a consolidated view of portfolio health (RAG status, financials, resourcing, risks) and report to senior leadership.

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Act as the primary senior escalation point for client stakeholders across UK&I engagements.
• Build and sustain trusted relationships with client sponsors, business leads, and IT stakeholders.
• Lead steering committee meetings, executive updates, and business reviews.
• Manage client expectations proactively, translating business priorities into delivery plans.

Delivery Leadership

• Provide oversight and guidance to project managers, functional consultants, and technical leads working on individual D365 workstreams.
• Ensure adherence to delivery methodology (Agile/Waterfall/Hybrid) and Microsoft Success by Design / Sure Step principles where applicable.
• Identify cross-project dependencies, resourcing conflicts, and synergies across the UK&I portfolio.
• Champion quality assurance, testing rigour, and change management practices across projects.

Commercial & Risk Management

• Own program-level financials: forecasting, budget tracking, margin management, and change control.
• Proactively identify and mitigate delivery risks, escalating appropriately with mitigation plans.
• Support contract/SOW discussions and commercial negotiations where required.
• Ensure compliance with governance, data protection (UK GDPR), and relevant regulatory requirements.

Team & Capability Development

• Mentor project managers and consultants within the UK&I Dynamics practice.
• Contribute to resource planning and capacity forecasting across the region.
• Support pre-sales activities — scoping, estimation, and solution positioning — for new opportunities.

Required Skills & Experience

• 10+ years in IT program/project management, with a minimum of 5+ years specifically managing Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementations (CE, F&O, or Business Central).
• Proven track record delivering multiple concurrent D365 programs in a client-facing, consulting/SI environment.
• Strong understanding of the D365 implementation lifecycle — requirements, design, configuration, data migration, integration, UAT, cutover, hypercare.
• Demonstrated experience managing senior client stakeholders through to program closure and sign-off.
• Solid grounding in program governance frameworks, RAID management, and delivery methodologies (Agile, PRINCE2, PMP, or equivalent).
• Commercial acumen — budget ownership, forecasting, and margin management.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and executive presentation skills.
• Based in the UK, with willingness to travel to client sites across UK & Ireland.

Desirable

• Microsoft certifications (e.g., MB-700 Dynamics 365: Solution Architect, PL-600 Power Platform Solution Architect).
• PMP, PRINCE2, or MSP certification.
• Experience working within a Microsoft Partner or System Integrator environment.
• Exposure to Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI) alongside core Dynamics modules.
• Experience across multiple industry verticals (manufacturing, public sector, financial services, retail).